Chapter 118: Lift Your Head, Welcome Home

Chapter 118 Lift Your Head, Welcome Home

The mecha's cannons abruptly opened fire,

drawing out the swarm of insectoid beasts from the Pollution Tide.

The entire sacred territory sounded the alarm, and the clansmen—few enough to fit entirely on just a few large starships—quickly acted in response.

Mechas streamed out in waves from the sacred territory's starship exits to engage the enemy.

"There are too many of them," a member of the sacred territory's parliament swiftly remarked.

"This isn't the normal quantity of beasts carried by a Pollution Tide."

"We should have expected this—how could wolves that hunt sheep ever truly abide by their agreements with the 'sheep'?"

"Any word on their location?" Lai Qing asked urgently.

"Search teams are out looking, but the reports coming back indicate they haven't been found yet..."

The starship, which served both as their temporary home and their means of attack, fell into heavy silence.

The rest of the sacred territory was still unaware; only the parliament had just confirmed that the three strangers who had suddenly appeared seemed to have come from their distant homeland, Saint Cas, and might even hold the crown their ancestors had long sought.

It all felt surreal, and no one knew whether this dream had been shattered—

or if it was all just a misalignment, leaving them no time for even a single word before they were separated.

But the current situation left Lai Qing no room for further contemplation.

"Hold the line. If the beast horde breaches the first line of defense, stow all gear. If they break through the second line, lock down the ship. Once the beasts reach the third line, fall back along the escape route—all mecha squads, provide cover!"

"Understood!"

Meanwhile, not far away in the Eastern Alliance,

the Pollution Tide’s disruption was massive.

Chairman Shi He of the Eastern Alliance had just finished meeting with the members who participated in the preliminary matches when he abruptly received this news.

"We’re in trouble," Shi He muttered, his expression darkening.

"The sacred territory must be exhausted by now—they won’t survive this wave of Pollution Tide."

"Chairman, what should we do? The sacred territory has brushed off all our advice. While I admire their spirit of resistance, jumping in could sink our shaky alliance."

"Indeed, Chairman. I advise we stay out of it to avoid unnecessary complications."

"I understand," Shi He said, pressing his lips together. "But you must realize—without the sacred territory, this sector will be defenseless. No matter how long we hold out, it will be futile. Here's the plan: mobilize our mecha squads. I’ll reach out to Speaker Lai Qing from my office now."

His tone turned sharp.

"This tide isn’t natural—it’s an attack on the sacred territory."

Of course, you could tell at a glance.

Lurking deep in the pollution, a pair of eyes—countless protruding black granular facets—flickered faintly—

Shan Huo, a high-ranking insectoid commander of the Aberrant Beast Legion, was manipulating a nearby insectoid legion, riding the Pollution Tide to assault the sacred territory.

He shared the vision of all insects connected by his psychic link, making it impossible to tell where he was looking.

Watching the sacred territory scramble into action, even their starships slow to react.

Just a small Aberrant Beast Legion—hardly worth Shan Huo’s notice, insufficient to wipe out their species—it was more than enough to overwhelm the sacred territory, already worn thin, their ranks unreplenished.

"What a joke," he thought.

All that hype about psychic caution—for what?

Like fear ever made anyone stronger.

Shan Huo watched, bored, as if witnessing a foregone conclusion, before turning away.

Just seeing the sacred territory squirm was enough.

Soon, they would feast on the flesh and blood of its inhabitants—especially that young one he’d been eyeing.

His needle-like tongue flicked out, licking his lips at the thought of that tasty morsel.

Not yet—Shan Huo.

He reminded himself, countless compound eyes gleaming with excitement.

A little sabotage was fine, but pushing too hard would backfire. If they grew too bold, abandoning even the pretense of restraint, the "livestock" would bolt. Without the ability to reproduce or function, starvation would follow.

Though devoid of emotion, these top Aberrant Beast commanders knew how to farm their prey.

Yet, the sacred territory's total collapse and frantic retreat never came.

Behind Yu Ye, sacred territory mechs came roaring in, flooding the comms as more joined the fight.

Yu Ye’s mech leveled its long barrel dead-on at the translucent wings of the distant insectoid Aberrant Beasts.

"Die—"

He snarled and fired.

The cannon boomed—a direct hit—before the explosions ripped through.

The sacred territory’s comms blew up with cheers.

"Hell of a shot!"

"Who was that? Amazing!"

"What kind of weapon is that? That firepower’s nuts—"

"Was that Yu Ye? Where'd you train, kid? You get a psychic boost or something?"

"No—"

Yu Ye froze, or rather, his thrill from the perfect hit vanished in a second.

"I just fired the most ordinary shell—it shouldn’t pack this much punch—"

Unless...

Unless—

Boom—

This time, before they could speak again.

Another swarm of beasts burst apart. The shells they fired acted like triggers—wherever they shot, the explosions linked together, as if something was stalking them from behind.

This time, not only Yu Ye realized it, but the rest of the Saint Cas team caught on too.

What was that?

—How’s it hitting so hard?

"On closer look, it seems to be riding our shells’ wake—arrows?"

Arrows...?

"Hey."

A faint tapping sound suddenly came from beside the mech's hatch.

Soft, rhythmic knocks.

A gentle, soft voice, with a youthful lilt, reached their ears.

"Do you know Saint Cas?"

Yu Ye spun around.

The first thing that caught his eye—was gleaming white wings.

Behind them surged a tide of beasts, surfing the Pollution Tide.

The Pollution Tide, as a force, was colorless. It simply obliterated all life in its path except for the beasts, leaching the world to monochrome.

The swarming insectoid beasts that came with the Pollution Tide were a seething black tide, truly resembling rolling waves, smothering the clear sky as if rain were imminent.

No—it was indeed raining now.

Behind the gleaming white wings, a dense black mass loomed. A streak of light tore through it, like lightning flickering within storm clouds, thunder rolling into a single roar. Then, as their shells exploded, the sky flashed blindingly bright, and countless corpses and fragments of insectoid beasts rained down in a clattering shower.

And before his eyes, a golden crown hovered quietly above Chu Zao's head—who had somehow perched on his mech unnoticed.

Xiao Chuzao didn't even glance at the battlefield blazing like a wildfire behind him.

Because not far behind him stood another figure, tall and composed, wings fluttering. The metal buttons on his black military uniform seemed to reflect the distant flames, while a silver-black crown floated just as silently above him—

Finn slowly drew back an arrow, and light flared in his hand and atop the crown.

Alone, he seemed to single-handedly stem the surging tide of beasts.

Even effortlessly, he occasionally checked on Chu Zao.

Chao Huangmu's psychic power wasn't yet so controllable that it could grant him the ability to fly directly like the Crown Clan, but his psychic power was strong enough. He raised his psychic gun, firing at the sky from the ground—he laughed, accurately picking off one stray creature after another amidst the billowing smoke and dust.

Chu Zao seemed to have searched around earlier before finally spotting a familiar face.

Seeing Yu Ye remain silent while the mech units of the Holy Territory around them all seemed somewhat abnormal—as if confirming some of his suspicions—he spoke up again to inquire.

"Or... are you Saint Casians?"

All the members of the Holy Territory were utterly unprepared by this sight, each frozen in place, stunned.

"We—"

Yu Ye hesitated, his throat seemingly choked up, unable to speak.

But soon, his mech's screen activated automatically.

It was Speaker Lai Qing.

Lai Qing had already risen to his feet, removing his military cap, his eyes lowered.

He seemed overcome with shame.

"Saint Cas—First Group Army, Vanguard Corps, Ninth Corps, and Tenth Corps reporting to you—We have been stationed here for a thousand years. Our findings are as follows..."

In an instant, many pieces fell into place.

So it really was Saint Cas—

Chu Zao looked at the mech units of the Holy Territory, all bearing the marks of battle to varying degrees, the starships too, battered with scars from meteor and Aberrant Beast impacts.

Before, he had admired their fighting spirit, thinking they were a territory with potential allies.

But he hadn’t felt much beyond that.

Until now—

Xiao Chuzao began to understand, just a little, what Amos must have felt when he picked up his beaten and broken self and painstakingly rebuilt him.

*Just who—has been bullying my people?*

The crown atop the Little Crown Clan's head burned brightly, his eyes flickering with light as well.

Finn also glanced over in their direction.

Chu Zao heard his uncle tsked softly in irritation—

Of course, when the Crown Clan went out to deal with the Aberrant Beast Legion, they mostly stayed alongside the Saint Casians.

Seeing the Saint Casians here in such a beaten-down condition naturally displeased him.

Chu Zao listened quietly as Lai Qing continued his report.

"Above is all the relevant information we’ve gathered here. We’ve only managed to obtain basic intel on a few high-ranking Monster Commanders—the rest remain unknown. Moreover, we are powerless to turn the tide. We beg forgiveness... Your Highness, we have failed in our mission. And... may we ask, which of the Highnesses are you?"

Lai Qing dipped his head in deference.

The council members standing beside him also lowered their heads.

Each of them bore scars to some degree, many with old wounds yet to heal. Some council members were even bound to wheelchairs, no longer able to stand.

They had just been thinking about how to desperately test if it was Saint Cas without appearing too awkward.

Yet, it was Chu Zao who spoke first.

Such a chaotic scene made their hearts race, leaving them at a loss.

But—

"What are you talking about?"

Chu Zao spoke.

"The primary mission of the First Group Army was to facilitate the evacuation of Saint Cas's inhabitants from planets on the verge of being overtaken by contamination—"

"You have already completed your mission, and done so excellently."

"Chu Zao Dwight."

Chu Zao murmured.

"My father, Amos Dwight—the current king of Saint Cas. Beside me is my third uncle, Finn Dwight. We were exploring the barrier and observing this sector of the galaxy, but due to spatial fluctuations, we were unexpectedly transported here."

So this is—the Little Highness?

Lai Qing paused, stunned.

How odd.

Such a voice—

Hearing it, they felt an unsettling feeling.

It was home… the faith they had been chasing all along…

"A sob—"

Who?

Whose voice was that?

For a moment, Lai Qing couldn’t quite distinguish it.

He could see some of the councilors beside him—tears splashing onto the control panel, others unable to suppress a muffled sob from escaping their lips.

The representatives, usually decisive and stern for the sake of the survival of Sacred Territory, regardless of age or gender, now all dropped their heads.

Even Lai Qing felt his vision blurred, tears streaking the display.

It had been too long. By human standards, this wait had been far too long.

They had lost track of the generations that had passed in waiting.

Nations and alliances around them came and went, one after another, and these people had long lost their grasp of the past, of history. Thus, Sacred Territory, holding onto memories of home, stood apart starkly.

Yu Ye, too, eyes widened—this was nothing like they’d imagined.

Not only was it an affirmation of the faith they had held onto, but also that kind of—gentleness.

The Crown Clan’s gentleness, a feeling only Saint Casians could truly grasp.

Yu Ye wanted to say more, but was startled by the scene on the screen and blurted out.

"Little Highness—be careful!"

Amid the roaring flames, what seemed to be a Legion Commander-class beast from the Zerg swarm charged forward, its body ablaze, barreling toward Chu Zao, who had his back turned.

Yu Ye shouted instinctively.

But Chu Zao didn't so much as glance back.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk—"

Finn's sinister voice rang out.

The beast instinctively recoiled in terror, tilting its head to the side.

Only to find an arrow digging into its skull.

Finn, soaring high above with his wings spread, looked down, his crimson eyes gleaming.

"Where are you looking?"

And who exactly are you charging at?

Not my kid, right?

No freaking way?

Huh?

In that instant, a brilliant light erupted in Finn's hand.

"My dad taught me not to interrupt others when they're talking. Didn’t yours teach you that? How rude."

Chu Zao still didn’t turn around—he didn’t even draw his weapon.

After all, a beast tide like this was far too trivial for the Crown Clan.

If Finn couldn’t handle it, Zao Zao would have to make a note in his little black book—this so-called uncle of his really needed more training.

But after speaking, the Little Crown Clan seemed to pause for a moment.

Chuckling at his own joke.

"Oh, I forgot. Guess you don’t have parents."

Meanwhile, Shan Huo, who had already left the area, suddenly realized something. He froze, then reestablished his shared vision with the Zerg assaulting the Sacred Territory.

But he stiffened abruptly, his body locking up.

Before him stretched an inferno—then, in an instant, everything snuffed out into silence, leaving only a flickering ember, forming an unrecognizable sigil Shan Huo couldn’t make out.

What was that?

He thought he even heard a mocking laugh.

A crushing pressure, unlike anything he’d ever experienced, surged forth—along with white-hot pain, forcing Shan Huo to double over uncontrollably.

The next moment, his world went black.

Shan Huo jerked around in shock, having instinctively fled far away. He stared toward the Sacred Territory, his eyes wide.

"What the hell—?"

He murmured softly.

"No, it must be—it must be their starship weapon?"

He was trying to convince himself.

But before he could fully persuade himself, he wiped away cold sweat.

Was something happening in the Sacred Territory?

Did it require urgent attention?

But it shouldn’t—they were just a ragtag group of pathetic remnants clinging to life.

Whether comforting or convincing himself—that there were no beings in this star system capable of threatening him—was unclear.

In the end, Shan Huo turned and left, though he fled like a man scrambling for his life.

Meanwhile, in another part of the star system.

"Your Majesty!"

The commander of the Ninth Group Army stood ready, reporting to Amos.

"Preparations are complete. The recon unit has fully assembled. Awaiting your orders."

Amos gazed at the rift in the barrier, then at the obscured Polluted Zone beyond. His expression darkened before he finally spoke—the crimson flag of Saint Cas snapped, the insignias of the Ninth and Tenth Group Armies glinted on the starships, as if the barrier hummed an ancient tune.

They listened as Saint Cas’s sovereign gave the order.

"Advance."

"Yes!"

With that, Saint Cas’s forces readied for departure.

It had been two days since Xiao Chuzao vanished.

Most of the star system still hadn’t heard.

Only on a certain small planet.

A robed girl sat perched high above.

A plate of candies sat in front of her.

"Hmm, not bad."

After tasting them, Shenghua murmured softly, then turned to her subordinate.

"Tell the factory to crank out more of these."

"Got it, boss."

Once Shenghua finished her instructions, she stood and took two steps forward, blowing out a slow breath.

Reflecting on her current circumstances.

Finally—she thought—finally—

Shenghua raised her hand, her fingers pressing against the glass, appearing to smile faintly.

At long last, she would discover what lay behind this mysterious organization.

Right at that moment.

"Hey—"

Shenghua was startled and turned to see a young man who had appeared in the room without her noticing.

"Xi, can you not be so silent when you show up? At least make some noise."

"Oh—"

Xi still had that lifeless expression, answered casually, then lazily reached out to tap lightly on the nearby wall.

"Is this noise enough?"

Shenghua had no response to that.

She turned and walked away.

"I have things to attend to. No time for idle chatter."

"You always find time when it comes to asking for supplies."

Xi couldn't resist muttering but still stepped aside to bar Shenghua's way.

Shenghua looked up.

Her face, hidden beneath the robe, looked even more radiant as she raised her eyes.

"What do you want?"

Xi tilted his head, looking away as he spoke offhandedly.

"Have you always been keeping tabs on Saint Cas?"

Though Xi didn’t know exactly what kind of attention Shenghua had for Saint Cas, one thing he knew for certain.

Shenghua indeed had strong reactions to Saint Cas, especially regarding the Crown Clan.

Of course, Shenghua usually hid it well—most people would never suspect. But having spent so much time with her, Xi had come to understand her well enough to read her moods.

Shenghua hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"What are you talking about?"

She replied without batting an eye.

"Seems like something’s wrong with Saint Cas. They’re on high alert over there. Just figured I'd mention it."

Xi said offhandedly, glancing at the time.

"I’ve got things to do too. I'm off."

Finn was still his same old self, never waiting for a reply.

Shenghua paused for a few seconds—had something gone wrong in Saint Cas?

What could it be?

Her expression remained calm—was her Little Highness alright?

*

Meanwhile, out in the stars.

It was over quickly.

A beast tide like this would have been fatal to the sacred territory, but to the Crown Clan in their prime, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

By the time Chu Zao and Finn landed, Speaker Lai Qing and the others had already disembarked from the starship, standing in the open space, watching them—they extended their hands, offering an awkward salute.

Then they heard the Little Highness speak.

"Why not call yourselves Saint Cas from the start?"

That just led to confusion on both sides.

"We—"

Lai Qing fidgeted, fingers twitching, trying to say more.

But this time, Chu Zao cut him off.

"Speaker Lai Qing—lift your heads."

Lai Qing froze. He looked up and saw the faintly glowing golden crown. Beneath it, Chu Zao still had a touch of greenness, yet he seemed to understand everything.

They heard Chu Zao say, "We salute the steadfast resolve and dedication of the First Group Army, and—mission accomplished. Welcome back to Saint Cas."

Say "Saint Cas" with pride.

Welcome home.

Home is home—not because of whether you deserve it or shamed its name.

But because, when they stretch out their hands with all their might to reach for it—it reaches back for them.